Hero of my Heart
by N.V.9
Summary: It's been eight years since Sasuke arrived in the Anbu Village. For eight years he lived in happiness, raising a family with the man he loved and creating bonds he never thought possible. But happiness doesn't last forever, not when Naruto leaves the village on a dangerous mission involving his family name and an item that took his brother away the first time.


**Look toward profile/bio for disclaimer and anything else involving this story.**

**~Sequal to My Heart is Yours~**

Sasuke watched with barely hidden amusment. His eyes showing what his face did not. He was supposed to be angry at the boy not encouraging such things. With his hands on his hips, he thought he pulled off a very angry mother.

"Kurama, what do you have to say?" he asked as he watched the little blonde head bow lower as tiny shoulders rose slightly. The boy of five said not a word, refusing to meet his gaze, and in truth Sasuke was pleased with this. Had the boy looked up, he would have seen that a punishment was far from Sasuke's mind. "You have nothing to say about the grub upon you?" Sasuke asked, watching the little boy shake his head in confirmation.

"And what of you Kyuubi?" he turned his gaze toward the other boy of the same age, looking identical to the first, blonde hair covered in mud and grass and what smelled like dung. "Have you any say on why you are the way you are?"

Like the first, Kyuubi would not look up, his gaze instead upon the ground as his hands played with the hem of his top.

Tsking Sasuke turned his gaze to the next in line. "Menma?" he said, adressing the four year old. Though this one looked like a triplet to the twins, the only difference being his raven locks and eyes and slightly smaller stature. "Have you any word on why the lot of you is covered in mud and foul odors?"

Once more he gained a silent answer, Menma even going so far as to move slightly behind the next in line.

"Naru?" Sasuke said looking at the only little girl in the lot, showing Sasuke what any of the three previous would have looked like had they been born such. With blonde hair in messy pigtails, the three year old clasped her hands behind her back and lifted her head. A smile wormed its way upon her lips, her eyes closing in the process, as she rocked back on her heels. "Why is your dress filled with tears and stains?"

"Papa." Naru said happily.

"Papa?" Sasuke said evenly, finally looking toward the last of the group. Naruto simply looked back, an innocent grin upon his face as he scratched at the dried dirt on his cheek. From his head to his boots, the same face as the other three, simply older and wiser, but nonetheless attractive and appealing to the eyes, Naruto stood as proudly as any knight of their village. His appearance still making Sasuke's heart flutter. Sasuke knew that should this man be wearing the most unattractive thing in the world and looking worse then this, Naruto would still make him blush with only a look and his knees week with only a touch. Ever since their marriage almost nine years ago, Sasuke could say he had never lost the torch he carried for his husband. The fire between them only growing brighter with each year and child they created. Their love was one that none could replicate, and though he saw little of his husband now, Sasuke loved him more then life. He loved the children they created more then his next breath. He loved the village that was their home, more then the next sunrise.

Not once since Sasuke had come to the village with his husband, had he left to see the outside world again. To him it no longer existed. It no longer mattered, save for his father who he shared letters with only when one of the Anbus was heading toward the Uchiha estate. The only outside contact he had beyond his father were Neji and Shikamaru.

Neji knew little to nothing to where he was, or what his life was like. As far as Sasuke knew, Neji new nothing of the Anbu, asking once in a while where Sasuke lived now, in his letters, so that he and Gaara could finally introduce their four children to Sasuke's own. Sasuke knew that Neji had two daughters and two sons, seeing them in portraits that Neji sent. Neji knew he had children as well, seeing them within Sasuke's own small portraits that he had sent to Neji, joking adding that they had a small competition between themselves to see who could have more and of what gender.

Shikamaru came to visit a few times with Kiba, leaving another Anbu in their wake to watch the home separating the village from the rest of the world. Sasuke could honestly say that his own children enjoyed the visits more because of the three 'pups', as Kiba liked to call his boys, that always had some new fasinating story or game to tell about from the other side of the mountain. Even Itachi's own four children liked when Kiba and Shikamaru came.

"What say you? Why is your Captain uniform all dirty?"

"A bit of work that got out of hand is all." Naruto shrugged, the other children nodding quickly to his statement as all smiled identical smiles at Sasuke.

"Mama, they were playing in the pig pin." Izuna said coming from the other side of the house with a look that mirrored Sasuke's exactly when the raven was truely upset and angry, a small wooden blade in hand. And like Sasuke, Izuna was the only one of their five children that mirrored Sasuke down to every last feature. As the oldest at eight, Izuna took more after Sasuke in actions then the others, but did everything he could to gain his father's approval. And Sasuke could see Izuna following in his father's footsteps, taking the place as Captain in the future when Naruto would bow the Stallion to Izuna. Izuna's own horse, Uchiha, named to honor his grandfather that he had yet to meet, was almost a clone of the Stallion. The only difference was Uchiha's front right leg was completely white down to the hoof.

"Tattle-tell." Kurama glared at his brother, gaining a narrowed eyed look in return.

"The pig pin!" Sasuke said losing all humor. He had simply assumed that they were once more playing in the gardens, that Naruto had fertilized yesterday. "Why on earth were you four in the pig pin!"

"Love," Naruto moved forward, pulling Sasuke into his arms as the raven tried to push him away. "It wasn't as bad as it sounds. The children-"

"Could have been killed!" Sasuke shouted again, the fear of anything happeing to his little ones, scaring him more and more as all the what could have happened appeared one after the other. "Naruto, that monsterous pig could have killed them!"

"I saw them while I was training." Izuna went on. "Naru was holding one and Menma the another. Kyuubi and Kurama were chasing the four other piglets around the pin and Papa was holding their mama in the smaller pin, while the Stallion stood between them, because she kept trying to attack them."

"Why were you with the pigs!" Sasuke shouted, watching all of the younger children flinch and hide behind Naruto.

"I told them not to do it. I said Papa was busy but they wanted to play with the piglets." Izuna lifted his chin, crossing his arms, his wooden blade gripped lightly in his left hand. "Papa had to save them, Mama."

"The Stallion heard them and came to their rescue. Between us we manuvered the mother into the little pin and got the children out." Naruto said quickly, running a hand over Sasuke's back.

"They were screaming for help." Izuna offered making Sasuke tense back up and start yelling at them all again.

"Izuna, you are not helping the situation." Naruto sighed, letting Sasuke go. "My love, do not think about what could have happened. Nothing of the sort will ever happen to our children so long as I live. So long as the Stallion walks, they will always be safe. Now why don't you finish getting lunch ready and I'll-"

"Captain!"

At the sound of a voice and the galloping of a horse, Naruto turned to see Yamato heading toward them, his grey mare eating up the grounds and calling the attention of Naruto's own horses. Right away, the Stallion appeared beside Sasuke's mare and their offsprings, one for each of the children plus one extra that Naru had claimed as hers until Sasuke gave her another sister.

"What is it,Yamato?" Naruto asked, his face already set to match the title he now carried. At this moment, to Sasuke, Naruto looked as strong and deadly as any solider and less like the man he married. Sasuke knew that Naruto was still the same, but sometimes, he would have to take a double look when Naruto became the Captain of the Anbu as his husband faded away. Ever since he had become Captain, Naruto had slowly pulled that life away from their marriage and only allowed Sasuke and the children to see him like this when he had little choice in the matter. Sometimes when Sasuke saw his husband like this, he wondered if Kushina felt the same way when Minato was Captain. He had asked her once, and her only words were 'It takes a strong person to love a man, and an even stronger heart to love a Captain.'

Feeling the children move closer to him, Sasuke rested his hands on two of their shoulders, watching Yamato jump from his horse and fall to one knee in respect before rising. The urgency the man gave off, sent goosebumps throughout Sasuke's body and a shiver down his spine. What had happened to cause this Anbu to act in such a way? What was needed of his husband? And why did he feel as if his world was going to change for the worst?

"Captain, the bird is in the air and the cats are closing in." Yamato said, making little to no sense to Sasuke.

"Any word from the hounds?" Naruto barked moving toward Yamato.

"Negative, Captain." Yamato said.

Without a word, Naruto jumped onto the Stallion's back. "Send for Itachi and my father." he told Yamato, watching the man bow again before moving to jump upon his own horse again and take off.

"Naruto?" Sasuke said as the Stallion headed to the headquarters.

"Finish your meal, love," Naruto said, smiling down at them, looking more forced and distracted then Naruto's normal smile. "I'll return as quickly as I can." with that the Stallion was off, leaving them behind.

"Mama, where is he going?" Kurama asked.

"To the headquarters because he is the Captain." Izuna said proudly. "One day I'll get to do the same."

"Why would you get to do them?" Kyuubi demanded, glaring as his cheeks puffed and his face got red.

"Because I'm going to be the next Captain." Izuna said knowingly. "Papa already said that I'm twice as good as he was when he was my age. He said that I'm already the best Anbu student in my class because Kakashi-sensei said so."

"I want to be a Captain too!" Menma said suddenly, making Sasuke smile. "I'll be twice as good too!"

"Not if I'm Captain first!" Kurama said. "I'm going to be three times as good!"

"I'll be ten times!" Kyuubi stated proudly.

"Me! Me! Me!"

"You what, Naru?" Sasuke asked, lifting his daughter into his arms, wrinkling his nose slightly at her smell.

"Me Cap'n!" she grinned.

"Like I'm going to follow a girl." Kurama said as Kyuubi and Menma gagged, bringing only a raised brow of disblief from Izuna.

"Naru could be the best Captain in the future." Sasuke said as he ushered the boys inside.

"No she can't." Kyuubi argued as he grabbed a few bath cloths and followed his Mama to the tub.

"Why not?" Menma asked confused, even if he was just disagreeing with Naru becoming a Captain seconds ago, he wanted to know.

"Because Papa is the best Captain in all of our history, and one day I'm going to be as great as him." Kurama boasted, watching his Mama remove his brothers clothes first and placing them in the warming water. In a smaller tub, Izuna was busy helping Naru clean up, looking very put out with the chore as he did so.

Laughing as the children got into their silly arguments, Sasuke went about cleaning each of them up. When the last was washed and dried, they all sat down at the table, two children to one side and three to the other. Across from Sasuke, however, was an empty chair. As of late, Sasuke saw the chair more then he saw his husband.

Looking around their extended home, where once it was only a single room, Sasuke felt the emptiness of it all without Naruto there. His children kept it from being dark, but at night when Sasuke sent them to bed, and went under his own covers, he felt the true isolation of his home. He wanted arms to wrap around him. He wanted lips to press against his. He wanted his husband to love him tenderly as he used to do. Instead all he had was the cold covers with half an empty bed. And for the rest of the night, as all the others that Naruto had been gone from their home, Sasuke wondered what was happening, what drastic thing was keeping his husband away from him? What terrible future was his husband trying to fight off and how much would it cost the love of his life in the end?

**O~o~O~o~O**

"Mmmmm." Sasuke groaned as his eyes flutter opened. With his body flushed from head to toe and tingling with heat, Sasuke met the gaze of his husband. Naruto's blue eyes looked dark, almost black in the shadows of the moon. The air around them sizzled with lust and love, causing Sasuke to catch his breath. "Naruto?" he gasped, feeling his husband's need press against his belly.

"Shhhh." Naruto smiled tenderly at him, cupping his face to kiss him gently. "Just let me love you, my love. Let me hold you."

"I-ohhhh." Sasuke moaned as Naruto kissed his neck, settling against him. Wrapping his legs around his husband's waist he pulled Naruto's head back and kissed him, showing him how much, even after eight years, he loved him.

For the rest of the night, Sasuke tried hard to keep his noises between them, neither of them wishing to wake the children. The soft creeking of the bed echoed throughout the room causing them to pause briefly to control themselves. Once both decided that no child would come walking in, they continued on.

When the first rays of the sun finally started to creep across the floor, Naruto slowly eased out of him, moving to lay beside him instead as he brought Sasuke to rest above him.

"Naruto?" he whispered tiredly. It had been a while since Naruto had loved him in such a way. The last time they had done this, Naru had been the result. Sure they had made love since Naru, but not like this. This was something that connected their hearts body and soul as one. This was the connection that their wedding represented. This completetion. This perfect balance.

"Rest, love, just rest with me." Naruto said gruffly, pulling him closer and tightening his arms. With the comfort of his husband beneath him, Sasuke allowed a small smile to cross his lips as he closed his eyes. With Naruto's heartbeat in his ear, Sasuke let sleep take him.

**A/N: I don't know why, but I just felt the need to make Naruto and Sasuke have a bunch of kids. **


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